The Loop (American TV series)

Last updated
The Loop
The Loop logo.png
Genre Sitcom
Created by
Starring
Opening theme"Hockey Monkey"
by James Kochalka Superstar and the Zambonis
ComposerBrad Segal
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes17
Production
Executive producers
  • Pam Brady
  • Will Gluck
Producers
  • Kim Sherwood
  • Randy Cordray
  • Karen Kirchner
  • Victor Hsu
Production locations Chicago, Illinois
Cinematography
  • Jonathan West
  • Michael A. Price
Camera setup Single-camera
Running time30 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network Fox
ReleaseMarch 15, 2006 (2006-03-15) –
July 1, 2007 (2007-07-01)

The Loop is an American television sitcom that aired on Fox from March 15, 2006, to July 1, 2007. The series stars Bret Harrison as Sam Sullivan, a young professional trying to balance the needs of his social life with the pressures of working at the corporate headquarters of TransAlliance Airways, a major U.S. airline. Chicago's downtown loop area was the setting for most of the show.

Contents

Premise

The Loop focuses on the life of its main character, Sam Sullivan (Bret Harrison). The show is shot with a single-camera setup instead of a multiple-camera setup more typical for situation comedies. The series follows Sam, his friends, and his co-workers as they try to survive both their personal and professional lives. A complete script is written for each episode but actors are also given opportunities to improvise their lines during the shooting process.

Cast and characters

Development and production

The Loop lasted only two seasons. Season 1 was 7 episodes. The show was renewed for a second season consisting of 13 episodes on May 12 by Fox. [1] It was one of only two live-action sitcoms renewed for the 2006–2007 season on Fox, along with The War at Home . The Loop's second season took place mainly in the workplace, and less of it with Sam's friends. The producers stated they "found most of the comedy to be with Sam and his co-workers and they wanted to expand on that." [1] On November 28, 2006, it was announced that the show's second-season episode order had been reduced from thirteen to ten, with Fox's crowded spring schedule believed to be the main reason for the reduction. [2] The show was cancelled on May 17, 2007, before the second season was even broadcast. Fox eventually burned off the remaining episodes on Sundays beginning June 10, 2007. [3]

Episodes

Season 1: 2006

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProduction
code		U.S. viewers
(millions)
11"Pilot" Betty Thomas Pam Brady & Will Gluck March 15, 2006 (2006-03-15)1AKK7913.70 [4]
Sam thinks he just might have a chance with longtime crush Piper when she and her boyfriend Marco break up days before her birthday. Sam, Sully and Lizzy go all out on plans to make her birthday special, with Sam hoping Marco's absence will finally give him the chance to express to Piper how he feels about her. But Sam's feelings for Piper get in the way when he generously makes her an offer he soon regrets.
22"Jack Air" Daisy von Scherler Mayer Theresa MulliganMarch 16, 2006 (2006-03-16)1AKK044.75 [5]
When Sam's boss Russ gives Sam the assignment of creating a low-cost airline carrier for their company, Sam relishes the challenge. Meanwhile Lizzy's friend Jenna, a VP ("veteran partier") for a tequila company, tries to convince Sam to compete against her in a tequila challenge. Sam is determined to excel at both, but Jenna's persuasiveness lands him on the beach in Cabo San Lucas the morning his presentation is due, forcing him to think on his feet and come up with the big idea that will prove to Russ he is up to the challenge.
33"Tiger Express" Jay Chandrasekhar Ira UngerleiderMarch 23, 2006 (2006-03-23)1AKK034.45 [6]
Sam reconnects at the bar with Jolie, a girl he ditched on their third date. Meanwhile, Sam's boss Russ claims they're being beaten in the airline business by Virgin Airlines and Sir Richard Branson. Russ has assigned Sam to take the Virgin flight to Hong Kong and investigate all the first class amenities Virgin offers in order to beef up their own TransAlliance airline.
44"Trouble In The Saddle" Rawson Thurber Pam Brady & Will GluckMarch 30, 2006 (2006-03-30)1AKK024.03 [7]
On his way to an important business meeting at Russ's ranch, Sam stops off at home to put on some ranch attire. Sully has connected a zipline to the falafel cart across the street from their second-floor apartment and Sam gets pushed down it without the handle, smashing into the falafel cart below. He's rushed to the hospital with massive burns on his hands and a groin injury, but insists on leaving so he can get to his meeting on time. The doctor agrees to release him, but not until he can prove his groin area is in proper working condition.
55"Year Of The Dog" Dennie Gordon Ira Ungerleider & Theresa MulliganApril 6, 2006 (2006-04-06)1AKK053.61 [8]
Sam's college experience in Beijing, China, pays off when Meryl seeks his expertise to assist with a vital presentation she's giving to the Chinese Department of Transportation in order to save Trans Alliance Air from potential downfall. Meanwhile, things at home get out of line when Sully starts a dog-sitting business. Sully mistakes Sam's flash drive, containing his presentation information, for a dog biscuit. As the presentation meeting approaches, Sam and his roommates scramble to come up with a quick-fix idea to retrieve the flash drive.
66"Bear Drop Soup"Daisy von Scherler MayerRobin ShorrApril 12, 2006 (2006-04-12)1AKK015.20 [9]
When Sam’s boss Russ gives him a raise and an assignment to do a profit analysis of all the divisions, Sam comes up with a quick solution to the budget problem: cutting back the frequent flyer program. Not realizing this idea would translate to Russ’s eliminating the program completely, Sam finds himself in a bit of a predicament when his carpool buddy, who heads up the frequent flyer program, is fired – and all his coworkers turn against him. At home, Sully convinces Sam to buy a hot tub to celebrate his raise.
77"Rusty Trombone"Jay ChandrasekharWill Gluck & Pam BradyApril 13, 2006 (2006-04-13)1AKK063.22 [10]
Piper's favorite band, The Dandy Warhols, are in town and Sam sees this as the perfect opportunity for him to take Piper out on a date. After hitting Meryl up for Trans Alliance company tickets to the concert, and promising Piper tickets to the show, Sam gets stuck at a brainstorming session at work, leaving Piper, desperate to go to the show, forced to take Derek up on his offer to go with him. Knowing Sam has to work, Russ gives the company tickets to his son Keith.

Season 2: 2007

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProduction
code		U.S. viewers
(millions)
81"Windows" Andrew Fleming Sam LaybourneJune 10, 2007 (2007-06-10)2AKK093.43 [11]
To increase profits at the company, Nordic clients are brought in for a new airport. After a gift for the clients turns out to be a terrible idea, the plan seems shot. That is until one of the clients offers to go clubbing with Sam, ruining his chances with the hot new secretary.
92"The Phantom" Dennie Gordon Robia RashidJune 10, 2007 (2007-06-10)2AKK103.60 [12]
When Russ destroys Sam's car, he starts treating him nicely by sending him to Hawaii and lending him his motorcycle. When Sully accidentally wrecks the motorcycle, Sam is forced to take a medical trial to make money. However the side effects ruin his date with the secretary, and when Sam realizes Russ was the one that wrecked his car, the surprise he had in store is ruined.
103"Yeah, Presents"Dennie Gordon Pam Brady & Will Gluck June 17, 2007 (2007-06-17)2AKK082.65 [13]
A scramble to find the perfect gift ensues as Russ' birthday approaches. Sam discovers Russ once owned an exotic bird, so he sets out to track one down.
114"CSI: Donut Idol Bowl" Jay Chandrasekhar Ira UngerleiderJune 17, 2007 (2007-06-17)2AKK052.51 [14]
Russ wants the airline to have a family-friendly icon, and Sam submits an idea from Darcy. Though Russ likes the icon, he opts for a doodle drawn by Sully that inevitably causes more than a few headaches.
125"The Dutch"Jay ChandrasekharRobin ShorrJune 24, 2007 (2007-06-24)2AKK071.52 [15]
Sam is invited to lunch with airline-industry power players, including Russ' rival the Dutch. When Sam donates to the Dutch's charity, it leads to unexpected consequences.
136"Lady Business" Mike Mitchell Robia RashidJune 24, 2007 (2007-06-24)2AKK022.66 [16]
Sam nominates Meryl for an award for female executives and unexpectedly draws her ire.
147"Stride" Tommy O'Haver Theresa MulliganJune 24, 2007 (2007-06-24)2AKK043.06 [17]
Sam is put in charge of a product-placement partnership between the airline and a chewing-gum company. He ends up hooking up with the sales rep (Christine Lakin) and allows the branding to get way out of hand.
158"Crazy Goat" Roger Nygard Andy Gordon July 1, 2007 (2007-07-01)2AKK031.63 [18]
Russ pressures his staff to generate some moneymaking ideas. With this in mind, Sam looks to facilitate a business merger by arranging a date between Derek and Darcy.
169"Fatty"Dennie GordonPam Brady & Will GluckJuly 1, 2007 (2007-07-01)2AKK013.38 [19]
Sam wears a fat suit to better understand how obese people experience air travel. During the flight, Russ wants Sam to keep an eye on his girlfriend, who he suspects is cheating.
1710"The Stranger" Millicent Shelton Sam LaybourneJuly 1, 2007 (2007-07-01)2AKK062.99 [20]
Sam chooses Russ' friend Ralph (Dale Dye) over Meryl to help him on a project. When the assignment gets out of hand, Sam goes crawling back to Meryl.

U.S. television ratings

Below is a table of the seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of The Loop on Fox.

Note: Each U.S. network television season starts in late September and ends in late May, which coincides with the completion of May sweeps.
SeasonEpisodesTimeslot (EST)Season PremiereSeason FinaleViewers
(in millions)
1 7 Wednesday 9:30 PM (premiere)
Tuesday 9:00 PM		March 15, 2006April 13, 20063.86
2 10 Sunday 8:30 PM and 9:30 PMJune 10, 2007July 1, 20072.36

Home media

The first season of The Loop was released on DVD on March 6, 2007. Bonus features included a featurette with interviews from the cast and crew. [21]

International airdates

CountryTV network(s)Series premiere
Flag of Argentina.svg Argentina FX Network March 2007
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia Seven Network December 7, 2006
The Comedy Channel July 14, 2009
Flag of Brazil.svg Brazil FX Network September 2007
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada CH March 2006
Flag of Croatia.svg Croatia RTL Televizija March 2009
Flag of Finland.svg Finland MTV3 January 13, 2010
Flag of France.svg France NRJ 12 August 25, 2008
Flag of Iceland.svg Iceland Stöð 2 2007
Flag of Ireland.svg Ireland RTÉ Two June 8, 2007
Flag of Israel.svg Israel yes Stars February 7, 2007
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom Trouble 2006
E4 July 30, 2009
Flag of New Zealand.svg New Zealand C4 May 19, 2008
Flag of the Philippines.svg Philippines Jack TV September 5, 2007
Flag of Russia.svg Russia MTV Russia December 2009
Flag of Ukraine.svg Ukraine Novyi Kanal June 2009
Flag of Thailand.svg Thailand True Series December 19, 2006
Flag of Turkey.svg Turkey ComedyMax January 27, 2008
Flag of Slovenia.svg Slovenia Kanal A
Flag of Bahrain.svg Flag of Egypt.svg Flag of Iraq.svg
Flag of Jordan.svg Flag of Kuwait.svg Flag of Lebanon.svg
Flag of Oman.svg Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg Flag of Somalia.svg
Flag of Syria.svg Flag of Tunisia.svg Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg Middle East 		Showtime Arabia (ShowComedy)2007
Flag of Mexico.svg Mexico FX March 2006

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References

  1. 1 2 "'The Loop' Gets a Reprieve". Zap2it.com. 2006-05-18. Retrieved 2008-02-12.
  2. ↑ "Fox Tightens 'The Loop' Order". Zap2it.com. 2006-11-28. Retrieved 2008-02-12. Fox has trimmed the order for the mid-season comedy by three episodes, from 13 to 10.
  3. ↑ Fox Confirms Cancellation [ dead link ]
  4. ↑ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. March 21, 2006. Retrieved October 27, 2023– via ratingsryan.com. Lock-green.svg
  5. ↑ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. March 21, 2006. Retrieved October 27, 2023– via ratingsryan.com. Lock-green.svg
  6. ↑ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. March 28, 2006. Retrieved October 27, 2023– via ratingsryan.com. Lock-green.svg
  7. ↑ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. April 4, 2006. Retrieved October 27, 2023– via ratingsryan.com. Lock-green.svg
  8. ↑ "Weekly Program Rankings". Los Angeles Times. April 11, 2006. Retrieved October 27, 2023– via ratingsryan.com. Lock-green.svg
  9. ↑ "Weekly Program Rankings". Los Angeles Times. April 18, 2006. Retrieved October 27, 2023– via ratingsryan.com. Lock-green.svg
  10. ↑ "Weekly Program Rankings". Los Angeles Times. April 18, 2006. Retrieved October 27, 2023– via ratingsryan.com. Lock-green.svg
  11. ↑ "Broadcast & Cable Nielsens: Week Ending June 10, 2007". Nielsen Media Research. December 20, 2020. Retrieved October 27, 2023– via ratingsryan.com. Lock-green.svg
  12. ↑ "Broadcast & Cable Nielsens: Week Ending June 10, 2007". Nielsen Media Research. December 20, 2020. Retrieved October 27, 2023– via ratingsryan.com. Lock-green.svg
  13. ↑ "Broadcast & Cable Nielsens: Week Ending June 17, 2007". Nielsen Media Research. December 21, 2020. Retrieved October 27, 2023– via ratingsryan.com. Lock-green.svg
  14. ↑ "Broadcast & Cable Nielsens: Week Ending June 17, 2007". Nielsen Media Research. December 21, 2020. Retrieved October 27, 2023– via ratingsryan.com. Lock-green.svg
  15. ↑ "Broadcast & Cable Nielsens: Week Ending June 24, 2007". Nielsen Media Research. December 22, 2020. Retrieved October 27, 2023– via ratingsryan.com. Lock-green.svg
  16. ↑ "Broadcast & Cable Nielsens: Week Ending June 24, 2007". Nielsen Media Research. December 22, 2020. Retrieved October 27, 2023– via ratingsryan.com. Lock-green.svg
  17. ↑ "Broadcast & Cable Nielsens: Week Ending June 24, 2007". Nielsen Media Research. December 22, 2020. Retrieved October 27, 2023– via ratingsryan.com. Lock-green.svg
  18. ↑ "Broadcast & Cable Nielsens: Week Ending July 1, 2007". Nielsen Media Research. December 23, 2020. Retrieved October 27, 2023– via ratingsryan.com. Lock-green.svg
  19. ↑ "Broadcast & Cable Nielsens: Week Ending July 1, 2007". Nielsen Media Research. December 23, 2020. Retrieved October 27, 2023– via ratingsryan.com. Lock-green.svg
  20. ↑ "Broadcast & Cable Nielsens: Week Ending July 1, 2007". Nielsen Media Research. December 23, 2020. Retrieved October 27, 2023– via ratingsryan.com. Lock-green.svg
  21. ↑ Gord, Lacey (January 23, 2007). "The Loop - Fox to release season 1 in March". TVShowsOnDVD.com . Archived from the original on November 26, 2015. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
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